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Drives
Front Foot Strokes Drives There isn't much difference in how to play the front-foot drives from the defense, except for the point of impact of the bat on the ball, where the bat play is extended, and the result is a scoring shot, rather than a blocking one. It is vitally important to get to the pitch of the ball, and keep the head still and in front of the vertical line of the pads. The weight should be shifted forward with the front knee bent a little, and the top hand firm, unlike the relaxed grip for a defensive shot. A drive is timed perfectly only if the top hand does most of the work, with the bottom hand used only to support. The bat should follow through in the line of the shot, and accelerate through a straight line. The various drives that can be played off the front-foot are: a) Off drive: Played to a ball pitched just around the off stump. The bat should come down in a straight line in the direction of mid-off, to make sure that the ball is propelled toward that direction. b) Cover drive: Played to a ball pitched slightly wider outside the off stump. The bat should come down in the direction of extra cover, so as to hit the ball in that area. c) Square drive: Played to a ball pitched wider outside the off stump, in the direction square of the wickets. d) On drive: One of the most difficult drives to play, which is being eradicated from the modern game gradually, as not many exponents of it are left. Played between mid-on and mid-wicket. e) Straight drive: The most eye-catching of all drives, played straight down the ground. The batsman may choose which drive to play on a particular good length ball, but emphasis definitely lies on getting to the pitch of the ball. Sweep Shot: It is the more risky of shots, but also the most yielding against spinners. It needs to be played with the spin, otherwise could lead to the batsman's downfall, as a result of a top edge. The traditional sweep shot is played to a delivery on or around the leg stump, in the direction behind square on the leg side. The front-foot should stretch outside the line of the ball and bent, while the back-foot is lowered parallel onto the ground. The head and front shoulder should lean forward towards the ball. The bat should come down from a high back swing, and should counter the ball in front of the pads. If not playing in the air, the wrists should be rolled, so as to keep the ball on the ground. The follow through should finish over the leading shoulder. It is important to judge the length of the ball, to perform a commendable sweep shot. It should be played preferably off good length deliveries, as trying to deal with a short ball with this shot would risk a miscue. It is also vital that the stumps are covered while playing the shot, so that in case one misses the shot, chances of being clean bowled are avoided. In modern day cricket though, various other sweep shots have come into being, as a result of need for innovation to use in one-day cricket. The paddle sweep is played very fine off a ball wide outside leg stump, while the slog sweep is played by opening oneself up, and thrashing the ball over mid-wicket. Leg Glance: The front-foot leg glance is used to hit the ball in the direction of mid-wicket, because the bat will meet the ball head-on; as compared to the back-foot leg glance is used to hit the ball behind square. The use of wrists and the angle of the bat at the point of impact are of utmost importance. The head should be on top of the line of the ball, and the weight of the body shifted on the front-foot, which should be slightly bent. The bat should be brought down as straight as possible, with the angling coming only at the point of contact in front of the pads, and not before, which could lead to a leading edge. The shot can be controlled using the bottom hand, as well as the wrists. Back Foot Strokes It is one of the one elegant-looking shot in the game, although it is as difficult to execute as impeccable it may look. One needs to have a fluent feet movement, to perform it with the required timing, as it relies less on power, and more on technique. It brings a bucketful of runs within the mid-on to cover region; however, batsmen usually prefer to play the straight drive on the front foot, rather than the back. It is utterly important that while playing this shot, the batsman poses erect on his feet, with his head right over the ball, and thus the entire weight of the body forward. This will ensure that when the bat contacts the ball, the latter wouldn't pop to nearby fielders. The top hand will control the stroke, while the bottom one will provide whatever power that is necessary to propel the ball in the direction chosen to hit. The bat and hands should follow through the line of the shot, and finish at a high position. Square Cut: It is the most apt shot for a ball delivered wide and short outside the off-stump. Although this shot can bring a lot of runs, it is all the most dangerous, because if not executed perfectly, it could lead to all sorts of edges, which would only lead to one's downfall. The head should stay steady and right on top of the ball, while the entire weight of the body should be shifted to the back-foot, which should move towards the stumps. If the head drops back, with the weight, the shot will inadvertently be made a mockery, as one can easily lose control then. To keep the ball down, to avoid any chances for close catchers, it is important that a high back lift is used. The bat should be brought down and across, scalping the ball at full extension. The wrists should follow the motion immaculately, with the bottom hand controlling the shot. The follow through is as important too: leave the weight on the back foot with the bat finishing over the front shoulder and behind the head. Pull Shot and Hook Shot: The concept of both the pull and the hook shot is quite similar. It's just the applicability that varies. While the pull shot, which is also much easier to control, is played to a ball which is around the waist height, the hook shot is used to counter one between the chest and head height. a) Pull shot: The rear foot should get across to the off stump, with the line of the head outside that of the ball. The front foot needs to swing to the leg side, so as to open oneself up. The head has to remain steady, as just a small unevenness will cause an ineffective and potentially dangerous shot. The bat should be swung across within the optimum possible time, so that it meets the ball in front of the body. To prevent hitting in the air, the wrists need to be rolled over a little. To ensure the best possible timing, the follow through too needs to be executed perfectly, with the head keeping still and the weight transferred on the front leg. b) Hook shot: It is more risky than probably any other shot, purely because controlling it is difficult. Since the wrists can't possibly roll over while playing the shot at its particular height, the ball is bound to stay air-borne for the initial thrust. The footwork should be quicker for this shot, as compared to pull shot, because there's less time to counter the ever-increasing height of the ball. The concentration should be at quite a high level, since a misjudgment in the bounce can result in missing the shot altogether, causing injury. The follow through is a little different. Both feet should move around, and point towards the trajectory of the ball, after having been hit. Either that or the weight shouldn't transfer from the back to the front foot, unlike the pull shot. And if you aren't wearing a helmet, it's best to duck rather than try for it. Leg Glance: It's very important that one should master this shot in order to execute it perfectly perennially. Power has little to do with the execution, the control of the shot lies entirely on how well the wrists are used, so as to use the pace of the ball to guide it through the area around the square leg. Both feet should move towards the stumps, opening up one's posture, without exposing the middle and the leg stumps. The head though, should be forward, and just in line with the ball. The contact of the bat should be made in front of the body, so time the swing as per that particular judgment. The bat should come down relatively straight, with the face turning towards the leg side as approaching the ball. The top hand should take over the control of the shot from then on to orientate the direction, with the wrists guiding the timing. Category:Coaching Tips